Books & Booze: ‘Silver Silence’ by Nalini Singh

I adore Nalini Singh, particularly the Psy-Changeling series. I’ve read every single book, most more than once, and a few many times.

When I grow up, I want to be Ms. Singh.

Silver Silence is the first in the new Psy-Changeling Trinity series, which is really a new entry point for the original Psy-Changeling series. You can start here, or you can go all the way back to Slave to Sensation and get to know the characters, politics, and conflicts that inhabit this world in fifteen fabulous volumes.

In brief, there are three races of people who live in an alternate-Earth: the Psy, a race of mentally superior people who have psychic abilities (telepathy, telekinesis, precognition, etc.); Changelings, a race of people who can change into an animal form; and regular ol’ humans.

(Side note: as a writer, if you want to learn a little something about world-building and series continuity with new protagonists in each book, this series should be your bible.)

Due to a high incidence of violence and insanity, the Psy believed that they needed to train the emotion out of their population to control and contain their abilities. They called this policy Silence. But Silence fails, and Silence ultimately falls. That’s what the original Psy-Changeling series is all about. But I don’t want to ruin the fun, so I’ll only add that the fall of Silence creates a new kind of chaos, which is where the Psy-Changeling Trinity series begins.

Ms. Silver Mercant is a Psy with incredibly strong telepathy. Without her mental shields, she can hear everything for miles and miles. She is also the heir to a politically powerful family of spies and information traders, and the executive assistant to one of most powerful Psy in the world. Raised in Silence, Silver believes the emotionless protocol is the only answer to protect herself from her own abilities.

Valentin Nikolaev is an alpha bear changeling who controls approximately one-third of the greater Moscow area. The other alphas are a changeling wolf who we haven’t really met yet, and Kaleb Krychek, Silver’s boss. When Silver becomes the liaison between the bears and the psy, Valentin meets and is drawn to her, despite her emotionless nature.

Phew. Okay, I think that’s all the background you need.

Obviously, this is a paranormal romance, so you know that there’s going to be romance between Silver and Valentin. But man, oh man, this is a doozy. An emotional rollercoaster that kept the pages turning. In fact, I saved this book for vacation, and despite my best attempts to savor every word, I read the entire thing on the plane. Whoops.

Anywho, this column is entitled Books and Booze, so I suppose I should get to the boozy part.

Silver Silence is set in Russia, so my first thought was Vodka. But I’m not really a cocktail kinda gal. Wine is my drink of choice. So then I thought maybe an ice wine. You know, because Russia is frigid, and there’s snow on the ground. But ice wines are pricey and hard to find, and again, not really my personal favorite.

So I thought a little harder.

Valentin Nikolaev — aka Mishka, aka Mr. I. M. A. Medvezhonok (Mr. I’m A Teddy Bear), aka Valya, aka Valyusha…apparently there are a lot of nicknames in the Russian naming tradition — is a big guy, tough but fair and rough around the edges. He wears jeans with holes in them and flannel shirts. He doesn’t own a brush.

Silver Mercant is a structured personality, organized and methodical, as most of the Psy are. She’s also the face of cooperation between the races, the head of an international first-responder organization that sends the right personnel with the right skills to the right location at the right time, regardless of politics. In other words, she stands out.

Which is also what makes her a target. When Valentin saves her from an attempted assassination by poison, Silver has to go into hiding to recover, but she can’t look like she’s running away. By order of the Mercant family matriarch, Silver goes into bear territory — Valentin’s territory — to “gain a better understanding of the changeling pack dynamic.”

I needed a big bodied red with a soft underbelly, but with enough structure and punch to make you stand up and pay attention. Cabernet Sauvignon it is. Lucky for me, that’s pretty much my standard, anyway.

But which vintage?

I loved these characters, and all of the secondary and tertiary characters as well. Hanging out in the bear’s den was so much fun, their warmth and heart evident in every interaction. Putting icy Silver into the mix was a recipe for both conflict and play. Ms. Singh did a fantastic job of making you feel like you were there, a part of the mix.

And yet both Silver and Valentin had their own underlying conflicts that added depth to the story. This isn’t just a romance between two people, it’s a complex dance between world and local powers that be, with far-reaching stakes for everyone involved. Silver’s life is on the line. Valentin’s bear clan could be torn apart. The Mercant family loyalty is in question. And the first attempts at cross-species cooperation could be ripped to shreds.

This is a book that is carefully balanced between sci-fi, fantasy, romance, and intrigue.

Perusing the shelves, I finally found it. The perfect bottle for an evening cuddling in an alpha bear’s cave.

Plus, not to beat a dead horse, but Sterling and Silver Silence? Perfect.

Sterling is a smooth drinking wine that you can sip and savor, but with enough depth to keep the experience interesting. Just like Silver Silence.

This is a book that is carefully balanced between sci-fi, fantasy, romance, and intrigue.

If you enjoy Paranormal Romance at all, and you haven’t yet picked up this series, do yourself a favor and buy Silver Silence right now. Then go back and read the Psy-Changeling series. Trust me, it’s worth a fifteen book investment.

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Megan is a thirty-something stay-at-home-mom who prefers a good story over doing the dishes. She's also the award-winning author of The Sanyare Chronicles, a fast-paced dark fantasy adventure set in the nine faerie realms. Megan is the Content Director of O.C. Writers, a network of published and aspiring authors in Orange County, CA.